On the thirtieth day of the spring month, the third session of the spring examinations.
Inside the examination hall at the Imperial Academy, it was deathly silent. Hundreds of candidates bent over their desks, writing furiously—only the rustle of brushes on paper and occasional sighs and coughs could be heard.
Lin Zhaoye sat in his examination cubicle, sweat beading on his forehead.
It wasn’t from the heat—though the spring weather had already turned a bit stuffy—but more from sheer nervousness.
Spread out before him was the policy essay prompt: “On Enriching the People.”
He knew this topic well!
Before she left, his younger sister had specifically gone over similar prompts with him and helped him organize his thoughts.
But for some reason, once he was actually in the examination hall, his mind went blank.
All those sentences he’d memorized cold, all those carefully prepared data points—they all seemed to have sprouted wings and flown away.
He scratched his head, wrote and scratched out, his draft paper covered in ink blots.
Half the time was already gone before he’d barely managed to scrape together an opening.
“The way to enrich the people lies in…”
Lies in what, again?
Lin Zhaoye was so anxious he could cry.
Just then, a candidate from the cubicle opposite suddenly looked up, stared at him for a few moments, and raised his hand: “Examiner! This student has something to report!”
The supervising examiner, a stern old scholar, frowned and walked over: “What is it?”
The candidate pointed at Lin Zhaoye, his voice not loud but clear enough: “This student suspects… that this candidate is a woman.”
“Whoa—”
The entire examination hall erupted instantly.
All the candidates looked up, turning their gazes toward Lin Zhaoye in unison.
Lin Zhaoye was dumbfounded.
A—a woman?
He looked down at himself—though he was somewhat delicate-featured, though his skin was a bit fair, though his frame was a little smaller… he was unquestionably male!
“Nonsense!” His face flushed red. “I’m a man!”
But the candidate pressed on, making his case: “Examiner, please look—this person has delicate features, no visible Adam’s apple, and a soft voice—clearly feminine characteristics. Furthermore, this student has seen him associating closely with women in a suspicious manner!”
Lin Zhaoye shook with anger: “You—you’re slandering me!”
The supervising examiner frowned as well.
Women were strictly forbidden from taking the imperial examinations—it was a serious crime.
But without evidence, one couldn’t just make accusations.
“Do you have proof?”
“Please have him examined!” The candidate said with righteous indignation. “If he is truly a man, this student is willing to accept punishment!”
Examined?
Lin Zhaoye’s head buzzed.
An examination in the examination hall meant being stripped and inspected in front of everyone!
Even if it proved he was a man, his reputation would be ruined!
“I refuse!” the words tumbled out of him. “This is slander!”
His outburst only made him look more suspicious.
The supervising examiner’s expression darkened: “Candidate Lin Zhaoye, if you have nothing to hide, why refuse?”
“I—I—” Lin Zhaoye was at a loss for words.
Just then, the chief examiner Yang Wanli arrived upon hearing the commotion.
“What’s all this noise about?”
The supervising examiner quickly reported the situation.
After hearing him out, Yang Wanli looked at Lin Zhaoye with a complicated gaze.
He had indeed suspected—Lin Zhaoye and Lin Shuying were twins and looked very much alike. And that “Young Master Lin Wuying,” who had shone so brilliantly at the evaluation assembly, was very likely Lin Shuying in disguise.
“Lin Zhaoye,” he said in a grave tone, “if you truly are a man, what harm is there in being examined? The innocent have nothing to fear.”
Lin Zhaoye looked at Yang Wanli and suddenly understood.
Yang Wanli was doing this on purpose!
He had long suspected his little sister, and now he was using this opportunity to force him into public humiliation!
“Master Yang,” Lin Zhaoye gritted his teeth, “this student is indeed a man—my household registration proves it. But being stripped and inspected in the examination hall is a profound disgrace. If you insist on this course, this student would rather forfeit the exam!”
“Forfeit?” Yang Wanli raised an eyebrow. “That would mean you have a guilty conscience, wouldn’t it?”
“I do not!”
“Then submit to the examination.”
The two were deadlocked.
Time ticked by. The other candidates had all put down their brushes, watching the spectacle with great interest.
Lin Zhaoye’s eyes reddened with desperation.
He remembered his sister’s parting words: “Third Brother, no matter what happens in the examination hall, stay calm.”
Stay calm?
How could he possibly stay calm?!
He took a deep breath and suddenly pulled open his collar, baring his collarbone.
“Master Yang, please look,” his voice trembled, “though this student has delicate features, I am indeed male. If you still do not believe me, I am willing to prove it with my life!”
His declaration was so resolute that even Yang Wanli hesitated.
What if… he had been wrong after all?
“Master,” the supervising examiner said quietly, “perhaps we could have a matron examine him…”
“Absurd!” Yang Wanli snapped. “This is an examination hall!”
In the end, after mediation from several deputy examiners, Yang Wanli relented: the candidate’s household registration would be the final authority—no re-examination would be conducted.
An uproar swept through the hall.
The candidate who had made the accusation turned pale: “No! I’m certain—”
“Silence!” Yang Wanli barked. “Disrupting the examination hall—drag him out, strip his title, and bar him from future examinations!”
The candidate was dragged away, his cries fading into the distance.
But Lin Zhaoye’s examination was ruined.
The farce had consumed nearly an hour—he’d been writing slowly to begin with, and now there was no time left. He hastily scribbled the last few sentences, but the bell signaling the end of the examination rang before he could finish.
As he walked out of the examination compound, his steps were unsteady and his vision dark.
It was over.
All of it was over.
He crouched on the steps at the entrance, burying his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking.
— —
At Little Lin Manor, A Li was reconciling accounts. News from Jiangnan had come back—Miss was doing well; the test fields had been a great success. She breathed a sigh of relief, though her heart ached for her.
Just as she was thinking this, hurried footsteps sounded from outside.
“A Li! Something terrible has happened!” A young servant burst in, his face ashen. “Third—Third Young Master is in trouble!”
A Li’s heart clenched: “What happened?”
“Someone at the imperial exams accused him of being a woman! Though he was cleared, he lost too much time and didn’t finish the exam!” The servant was frantic. “Third Young Master came back, locked himself in his room, and won’t open the door for anyone!”
A Li dropped her account book and ran toward Lin Zhaoye’s courtyard.
In the courtyard, a cluster of servants and maids crowded around the door, pacing anxiously.
Not a sound came from inside—an eerie, deathly silence.
“Third Young Master,” A Li knocked, “please open the door…”
Suddenly, the door swung open.
Lin Zhaoye stood in the doorway—his eyes swollen like walnuts, his hair disheveled.
“I want to see Yang Wanli,” he said, his voice hoarse.
“Master Yang?” A Li was taken aback. “What do you want to see him for?”
“To ask him why he did this to me.” Lin Zhaoye started to push past her. A Li quickly blocked him. “Third Young Master! Please calm down!”
Just then, another announcement came from outside: “Master Yang Wanli is here to visit—”
Both A Li and Lin Zhaoye froze.
Yang Wanli, dressed in plain cyan robes and carrying a gift box, walked into the courtyard with a composed expression. Seeing Lin Zhaoye in such a state, he frowned slightly: “Third Young Master Lin, you look…”
“You dare to come?!” Lin Zhaoye lunged forward and grabbed his collar. “You ruined me! Do you know how much I suffered preparing for the exams? And with one word from you, it’s all destroyed!”
Yang Wanli didn’t struggle—only said: “Let go.”
“I won’t!”
“Let go,” Yang Wanli repeated, his tone cold. “I came here today to take responsibility.”
Responsibility?
Lin Zhaoye froze, his grip loosening.
“Res—responsibility for what?”
Yang Wanli straightened his collar, looked at him, and said slowly, word by word: “Third Young Master Lin—or perhaps I should say… Third Miss Lin? Though your household registration in the examination hall proves you’re a man, I still feel this matter is suspicious. I’ve also publicly embarrassed Third Miss Lin. If you truly are a woman…”
He paused, his tone becoming serious: “If that is the case, as the chief examiner, I bear responsibility. But I have no intention of destroying your reputation. So, I am willing… to marry you and take full responsibility.”
Dead silence.
You could hear a pin drop in the courtyard.
Lin Zhaoye stared blankly at Yang Wanli, his mind buzzing.
Marry him?
He was a man!
“You—you—” He trembled with rage. “Have you lost your mind?!”
Yang Wanli frowned: “Third Miss Lin, there’s no need to be so agitated. I know this has been a grievance…”
“Grievance my foot!” Lin Zhaoye finally exploded, grabbing an abacus from the corner and hurling it at Yang Wanli. “I’m a man! You want to marry me?! Are you blind?!”
The abacus clattered against Yang Wanli’s chest with a loud thud, beads scattering across the floor.
Yang Wanli staggered back a step, but still insisted: “Third Miss Lin, there’s no need to be shy—”
“I’ll show you shy!” Lin Zhaoye lunged again, but A Li grabbed him in a tight hold.
The courtyard descended into chaos.
Finally, Lin Moqian arrived and restored order.
“Everyone stop!” He walked over to Yang Wanli and clasped his hands in greeting. “Master Yang, my younger brother has been unruly and offended you—I apologize. But he is indeed a man, I swear it. If you don’t believe me, you may have a physician examine him.”
Yang Wanli looked at Lin Moqian, then at Lin Zhaoye, who was still hopping mad—and at last, doubt crept in.
“I was presumptuous.” He finally bowed his head. “Third Young Master Lin, I misunderstood today. I apologize.”
Lin Zhaoye let out a “hmph” and turned his face away.
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